Melaina LaElpis and the Golden Sarcophagus
by MomoMouat97
Summary: Set just before start of Battle of Labyrinth. My life changed forever exactly one month after I celebrated my eleventh birthday. Suddenly, my life didn't make any sense. Monsters were real, Gods still existed, and there's an evil Titan out for blood, my blood. And, to top it off, one of my parents isn't actually mine. Somebody's been lying to me. And I'm tired of it. CANNON!
1. I kill a man with a pen

**This story will be set right before Battle of the Labyrinth begins. Imagine that Percy Jackson is on a mini-quest with Annabeth in Maine. Imagine that another demigod was introduced into the picture, somebody just as important as Percy. Imagine it was a girl. An eleven year old girl. Imagine that her name is Melaina LaElpis, or Melanie, for short.**

* * *

_Name: __**Μέλαινα Λα Ελπίς**__  
Translation: __**Melaina LaElpis**__  
Greek for __**"Hope in the Darkness"**_

* * *

My name is Melaina LaElpis, and my life changed forever exactly one month after I celebrated my eleventh birthday.

Of course, when I'd woken up that morning, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. If I had, I probably would've rolled over and fallen asleep again. I guess that's all just wishful thinking now, huh? I rolled out of my cozy bed, rubbing my eyes blearily as a huge yawn bubbles up and out of my mouth. I hissed as light from my window hit me in the face, blinding me momentarily before I shifted out of the way. Opening my door, I walked towards the stairs. Down in the kitchen below, I could hear my dad puttering around, probably making breakfast for me before he headed out into our fields to work again.

You see, I don't exactly live where most people think of when they think of a home. We live somewhere around twenty miles down a winding forest path outside of the bustling city of Portland, Maine, in a creaky old farmhouse that's probably around a hundred years old, at least. The closest neighbors we have live at least five miles to the North of us, too far to keep regular contact with, not that we were exactly social people, anyway. All we have for company are the trees from the surrounding forest, and the lonely wind that drifts in from the ocean before a storm.

Around our humble little farmhouse were acres and acres of fields, all in the colors of the rainbow. Potatoes. Wheat. Carrots. You name it, we probably grow it. We pretty much sustain ourselves completely off of the land, and daddy only goes into town when he absolutely has no choice but to get necessities. I've never been allowed to go myself, and every time I ask why, the only answer I get is a troubled look, almost like he's afraid I'm going to collapse on him. I've come to the conclusion over the years that he has some sort of freaky fear that he's going to lose me, just like he lost my mom.

She died in childbirth. I don't think that she even got the chance to hold me after I was born before she slipped away. Daddy always said that she just wasn't built for the cruel, harsh world that we live in today. I don't know so much about the outside world, but odd things did seem to happen around our home, things that I couldn't explain no matter how hard I tried.

I remember when I was about six, and I threw a temper tantrum because daddy had changed his mind about an all-day picnic he promised he would take me on. There's this beautiful clearing about a mile into the forest in front of our house, with wildflowers of every color you can think of around. The sunlight streams through breaks in the trees, and it's so quiet and peaceful. I loved it there. I could stay there forever if he had let me. That picnic was one that I had been looking forward to for weeks, because daddy was finally taking a day off from work to spend time with me, and I had really missed him.

Looking back now, that day had felt off from the start. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was stirring. I remember how as soon as I had started stomping my feet, screaming at him that he was the worst daddy ever, and that I hated him, the earth began to shake. He had grabbed me and run outside, thinking that it was one of those freak earthquakes that Maine gets sometimes, but the world stopped shaking as soon as he grabbed me. And what we found outside was not normal. Even for during an earthquake.

In front of the house was this huge crack in the ground, easily about a foot across, and ten week wide, jagged and crumbling on the sides. It didn't seem like something an earthquake could have made happen, instead it looked like a giant scar, ominous and gaping. Daddy hadn't answered my fearful questions, instead sending me inside to my room. I had watched from my window as he filled it with dirt from tending the fields. When he was done, he came inside, and we never spoke of it again. But even months later, no grass had grown over the scar. Not even five years later. It was still there, dark and forlorn, and whenever I passed over it I felt a chill settle over my bones. It was a silent reminder of something unexplainable.

Weird things like that had happened over the years. Maybe it was the air. Maybe they were all coincidences. Maybe I'm just weird. But I couldn't shake the feeling that everything weird that happened or anything that went wrong was all because of me. That I was somehow putting my dad in danger by being here. But then I caught myself and realized I was being ridiculous, and that I was just overthinking from being alone so much.

You see, I'm an only child. On some days, this really bothers me. Often I'll sit for hours, wondering what it would be like to have little brothers or sisters running circles around me excitedly, or stern older siblings to look for advice when I was lost. But no, the only person I have for company is dad, and I only really see him for meals since he's so busy in the fields most of the day. My day usually consists of me doing chores, studying, and sitting around listlessly. Our house doesn't have a television, or even internet. Our wallpaper is pretty interesting, but you can only count how many birds are on a stretch of wall so many times before it gets unbearable. We have a single phone, but daddy always tells me it's only for emergencies, and I should never use it unless I absolutely have to.

Am I a lonely child? Yeah. Yeah, I guess you could say that.

Am I a troubled child? Definitely.

My dad looked up at me and spared me a small smile that made me feel warm and cozy inside as I climbed up into a chair that was way too big for me. He snorted out a laugh as my feel danged a good foot from the floor, and I scowled at him. Teasing me about my height was one of his favorite things to do. He was a giant to me, over six feet tall, and I was a little dwarf at less than five feet myself. Drumming my fingers on the weathered oak wood table, I ran a hand through my messy bedhead, probably not helping it at all.

"Morning daddy," I muttered as he placed a plate full of eggs in front of me. I dug in as he sat down across from me with his own plate. They probably were fresh from our chickens in the barn outside.

Self-sustainable. Yep.

"Morning Little-Bit," his blue eyes met mine briefly, twinkling as we both hungrily demolished our breakfasts. Maybe it was something about the fresh farm air away from the city, but I always had a huge appetite. It never seemed to go anywhere, however, and I stayed as skinny as I always had been. I mean, I almost looked like a skeleton. Not exactly soft on the eyes, I was.

We are in silence for a good portion of time before he set down his silverware, wiping his mouth with his napkin. He cleared his throat, and I looked up at him. Instead of his usual teasing look, there was a serious expression on his face. "I need you to catch up on that wayward math homework today, hmm?"

I stifled a groan by covering it with a cough, taking a drink of milk to stall. All of the math that I had procrastinated in doing swam in front of my tired eyes, making me dizzy. After I swallowed, I looked up and saw him staring at me, waiting with a raised eyebrow for my answer. Sighing, I nodded my head in agreement, resigned to my fate. "Okay."

He stood up, taking both of our plates and carrying them to the empty sink, where he rinsed them and left them to soak. Without turning around, he spoke, "I'll probably be back around one. Set out the sandwiches in the fridge, will you, Melanie?"

I nodded in assent, before remembering he couldn't see me. "Yes daddy."

He walked past me, ruffling my mess of curly black hair fondly as he made for the back door. I hissed angrily, trying to smooth it back down, and probably failing. After I heard the screen door slam shut behind him, I slouched down in the hard kitchen chair, covering my face with my hands as I groaned loudly. Muttering words that probably would've gotten me grounded if daddy had heard them, I pulled myself to my feet, heading back up the stairs to take a shower and get dressed. Hey, I might not have anybody to show off to, but that doesn't mean I can look like a slob all day, right?

I avoided looking in the mirror as I stumbled into the shower, turning on the hot water full blast while I shed my pajamas. Unhappy with my appearance, you say? I think that some war prisoners look healthier than I do. That's how skinny I am. Considering the fact that I eat like our pigs, it's quite an accomplishment, but not one that I'm proud of.

As I stand under the scalding spray, I can't shake this feeling that something isn't right somehow today.

_Something bad is going to happen today,_ a voice tried to warn me. _Danger!_

_Shut up,_ I told it as I furiously scrubbed my hair, the hot water invigorating my still half-asleep body.

Luckily, my shower had steamed up the mirror too much for me to see anything in it as I got out and wrapped myself up in my soft black towel. I padded down the hall into my brightly lit bedroom, where I traded my towel for black pants and a random shirt, draping my leather hunting jacket over my shoulder, just in case a storm decided to blow in and the temperature dropped. Out here in the countryside, the weather can change at the drop of a hat. You never really know if today will be really hot, or freezing cold. Better to be safe than sorry, in my opinion.

As I turned to leave my room, I stopped for a second, slowly spinning back around to look around. I took in my pale blue walls, covered with drawings I'd made when I was little. Some were brightly colored with pastels, and then some of them were darker, things I would draw from my nightmares. I didn't get them a lot, but when I did, they were the horrible kind. The kind where you wake up screaming bloody murder, clutching at the sheets in terror, convinced you're about to die. I could never remember what exactly my dreams were about, but they were bad when they came. Just another way I was a freak of nature, I suppose.

My eyes passed over where I kept my emergency backpack on the wall near my desk, stashed full of clothes, emergency food, and other necessities. Maybe I was being silly, but I walked over to it and threw it over my shoulder. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach I was going to need it. Before I left, I slipped my feet into my hunting boots, feeling the soft supple leather around my skin. Fully dressed, I didn't look back again as I closed the door, but I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever set foot in my bedroom ever again.

My boots made a soft clinking noise on the weathered boards as I scooted downstairs, tossing my bag and my jacket onto the kitchen table on my way to the living room. Bad feeling or not, I had homework to tackle, and I might as well get started now when I at least felt a little motivated.

I honestly didn't mind schoolwork, but I could never do it for very long. For some reason, my brain refused to focus on one thing for more than a few minutes at a time before it wanted to move onto bigger and better things. When I tried to force myself to focus, the worse it got, until the worlds turned to flying saucers and math problems to Ancient Greek! Sometimes, I got so infuriated with myself that I would throw my school books across the room. Dad said that what I was describing probably meant I was Dysmexa or something like that. Well, I always knew that there was something wrong with me.

Groaning loudly, I set out my textbook, turning to the last page I was on before I gave up. Problem solving. This shouldn't be that hard, right? I guess that was wishful thinking. I gritted my teeth as I read the same math problem at least ten times, trying to make sense of the words scooting across the page. "C'mon," I hissed, gripping the book tightly. "Stop it!"

By the time I gave up, over an hour had passed and I still hadn't even done a single problem. Today was not going to be a good day, I could already tell. Flinging my hands up I fell backward onto the couch, grumbling about stupid fathers and ridiculous school. Deciding I needed a break, I lifted the cushion next to me, finding the small, worn black scrapbook underneath it. I pulled it out, laying it reverently across my lap. Swallowing in the dead silence of the house, I carefully peeled open the cover, my eyes falling on the only picture on the right side.

It was a beautiful woman, her bright blue eyes twinkling merrily as she clutched a bouquet of lilies and roses in one hand, and the arm of a tall, blond haired man next to her. Both of them beamed up at me, their teeth brilliant white against the contrast of their olive skin. Daddy's blonde hair sparkled in the sun, and Mom's black hair was shining from the elegant French twist it was up into. It was their wedding picture. Mom's dress was a tight cream-colored mermaid style gown, and dad's tie matched mom's eyes perfectly.

I guess I'm in that picture too, if you look close enough. It was one of my dad's worst kept secrets. Just the fact that I was born four months into their marriage was enough of a dead giveaway, but mom's slightly protruding stomach told the tale as well. Touching their faces, I can't help but think about how different my life would be if she had lived. Would she be a nice as she looked here? Stern? Would she sing me to sleep every night and chase my dreams away?

I feel envious as I look at how beautiful she is. I wish I looked more like her. The only thing that makes me look anything like my mom is her black hair, and even so, mine is more messy and curly than hers. I honestly don't look anything like dad. You'd think that because both of my parents had blue eyes, so would I, but nature seemed to love to mess with me. I had these really creepy black eyes that looked like bottomless pits if you looked at them just right. They stood out even more in my pale, skinny face than theirs would have if I had olive skin like my parents. Honestly, I looked adopted. If it wasn't for the second and only picture in the album, I might've suspected it.

The picture is my mom, probably a couple of weeks before she died having me. She's smiling widely, holding her stomach in her hands as she looks down at it lovingly. Any of my doubts that she wouldn't have loved me melt away while I look at the pure love and devotion she held for me, her unborn child. She hadn't even met me yet, and still she loved me.

I was still looking at the photo with tears in my eyes when I felt it.

My heart pounded in my chest furiously as blood roared in my ears. Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. The sinking feeling I had in my gut since early this morning intensified, becoming reality. Somebody was in trouble. Danger. I was already up and racing to the kitchen table, shoving my sleeves in my jacket and throwing my bag over my shoulder as I finally put a name on what was wrong.

Dad was in terrible danger. I don't know how I knew, but I did. And I had to move fast.

I tore out the door, putting my head down low and sprinting down the weathered path that daddy always drove the tractor down when heading out to work in the fields. The wind whistled in my ears, and I could feel moisture blowing in from the ocean. I was right, a storm was brewing. I zipped up my jacket while I ran, kicking up dust behind me in my hurry.

I heard the tractor before I saw it.

I covered my mouth to keep from crying out. It was lying on its side in the dirt, its motor still purring weakly. How it was still even alive, I had no idea. There was a huge, misshapen dent in the driver's side of the vehicle, and a suspicious red stain pooling around the fallen tractor. I was still staring at it in horror when I heard a muffled yelp, and instinctively ducked behind the farm vehicle, because the voice hadn't come from inside.

Peeking through the mangled door, I almost fainted. Pinned to the ground about twenty feet away was my dad, and on top of him was a huge man, easily about eight feet tall and massive. But… it didn't look humanoid. I's skin was rough, and odd colored, and shaped different than a human. The only thing it wore was cut off jeans. Its chest was covered in bits of red stained items that I didn't even want to think about.

My hands grasped the side of the tractor for support as I knelt there, trying not to panic. Scooting forward, I felt my hand slip in something warm, and before I could stop myself, I looked down. It was all I could do not to vomit. There was no questioning what this warm, dark liquid was. The tractor and the ground were coated in blood, my dad's blood. I yanked my hands away in an instant, my mind reeling.

I resisted the urge to scream and wipe my hands frantically on my clothes, digging my hands into dirt instead for support as I peered back over the vehicle. My dad gurgled from underneath this…_thing_, choking up blood while he lay there helplessly. I felt the urge to run out and help, but then his eyes found me. His widened, and he ever so slightly shook his head, mouthing, _run!_

_Not without you,_ I mouthed back, tears running down my face. He shook his head again, his eyes flickering back up to the growling thing pinning him down. His legs were twisted uselessly underneath him, and one arm was pinned under the giant's foot. At least I thought so, until I saw it lying a few feet away, covered in blood. I didn't know how my dad was still alive, there was so much blood.

_Breathe,_ I told myself, clutching my stomach and gasping silently. _Breathe!_

The thing opened its mouth, bending down closer to my father. When it spoke, its voice was rough and impatient.

"Where is she?" He growled, shaking my father's broken body as he cried out in pain. "Tell me now, and I might spare your pathetic life, mortal."

My father struggled to speak, choking up more blood before glaring hatefully up at the beast. "I'll never tell you!" The thing opened its mouth in a furious roar, and I could see rotten molars from all the way over here. I whimpered slightly, then pressed both hands against my mouth, gagging as I tasted something rusty. _Don't think about it, don't_ my mind told me sternly.

My father's eyes found mine again, pleading with me to run, and this time, my legs obeyed. Silently and fast as lightning, I sprinted back the way I came, pressing my hands against my ears to drown out my father's anguished cries of agony. I didn't stop as I passed the house. I didn't stop as I made it to the street. I didn't stop as I ducked into the cover of the forest canopy. I had to keep going. Nowhere was safe now. And as I ran, tears of confusion, terror, and anguish ripped their way from my throat, choking me as I pressed my hands once more against my mouth to stay silent. _Gotta get away!_ My brain screamed at me in a panic, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Whatever it was, it was anything but good.

* * *

I don't know how long I keep running for, but I ran until my legs give out.

Gasping for breath, I sunk to my knees, hugging myself around the middle while I try to calm down. I ran out of tears hours ago, but the sobs never stopped. I pressed my hands against the sides of my head, willing myself to stop panicking. My breath sounds hollow in my ringing ears, and my throat stings from my sobs. It's a slow process, but eventually I managed to climb back to my feet.

I peered around at my surroundings. It's hard to tell, because of how little light actually penetrates the decaying forest floor through the canopy, but it looks like it's almost dusk. _I must've been running for hours_, I mused, turning in a slow circle to assess where exactly I am. When I had run away, I had ignored the path completely, hoping to throw off the man if it decided to follow me. Unfortunately, it threw me off too, and I find myself completely lost for the first time in my life, in a forest at sunset, no less. I didn't think that things could get much worse than this right now.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that, because suddenly I hear the sounds of things in the forest coming alive, branches cracking underfoot, wings above me. Friend, or foe? There was no way of knowing. Chills run up my spine and I slowly reach into my bag for my pocketknife. I still can remember the day that my dad gave it to me. He had smiled, patted me on the shoulder, and told me to put it away. That I would know when the time was to use it. Some help, right?

Well, now was a good a time as any, I guess.

As if in response, I hear a giant _thump!_ coming right from where I just was. I whirl around, clutching my knife, my heart pounding in my throat. I try to swallow, but my throat is dry. _I can't die,_ I think,_ not after daddy's sacrifice. _Steeling myself, I lower down into a fighting stance, imagining that I'm an iron statue, unmovable by anything short of a landslide. I took a deep breath, and as I inhaled a branch snaps right behind me. I mean, literally, right behind me.

I screamed out in a panic, slashing with my knife blindly as I spun around, my eyes wide with fear. Dimly, in the back of my mind, I think that it was pretty stupid to give away my position to everything else bad in this stupid forest, but I'm too confused by the sight in front of me to really think about it. I was expecting something as equally horrible as that monster from before, but instead, I saw a teenaged boy, clutching a sword in his hand.

"Woah! Woah!" the boy cried, leaping backward with his hands up in surrender. My eyes narrowed in on the gleaming bronze sword in his right hand, with a weathered leather grip. His green eyes were wide with shock, sticking out from under a mop of messy black hair. He looked like a normal teenager, except for the fact that he was wielding a lethal weapon. I couldn't take the chance, and I swung my knife at him again, trying to scare him off. "Easy!"

I don't drop my knife from its defensive position in front of me. My dark eyes narrow as he slowly took a step forward, hands still up. I hissed as he comes even closer, shrinking back in a panic. All of the forest seems to have gone silent, except for my harsh breathing and this boy's softer breaths. I scrutinize him for any hint that he is a threat, eying him up and down. His orange shirt picks up on a few weak rays of the setting sun, gleaming slightly. I can't make out the black words on it from here, but it says something about a camp.

"Hey," He said, softer now, reaching into his pocket. I readied my knife to defend myself, heart pounding wildly, but he just takes out…. a pen cap? While I watch in confusion, he touched it to the top of his sword, and it shrinks down into a ballpoint pen? My eyes went wide with disbelief as he pockets it, putting his hands back up. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

I eyed him suspiciously again, lowering my knife ever so slightly. "Who are you?" I demanded, refusing to budge an inch. "what do you want?" I tried to make my voice sound intimidating, but it came out as more of a high pitched squeak. Well, I certainly sounded like the eleven year old that I was, even if I didn't feel like it. So much for being scary, I guess.

He smiled faintly. "I'm Per-" suddenly, the berry bush next to him rustled, and I yelped, readying my knife as a blonde haired girl in the same orange shirt rushed out, her bronze dagger held aloft. She looks terrible, but ready for battle. I can't take the chance that she isn't a threat and so in a panic, I charged her, ready to neutralize this new enemy. "Wait!"

The girl dropped her gleaming dagger in shock, her blonde hair going everywhere as she grabbed both my arms, holding me away from her body. I slashed at the air near her arm, struggling to get free. "What in the-"

"Hey!" The first boy got in front of me as I struggled against the surprisingly strong grip of the blonde girl. He dodged me as I started trying to stab him as well. "Hey! We aren't going to hurt you."

"Get away from me!" I shrieked, my pocketknife falling to the floor in my panic, fighting tooth and nail to get free. Well, there goes my only weapon. In desperation, I start to kick at the girl's legs, making her hiss in pain, but she stands through the blows. "You can't kill me, too!"

"Nobody is going to kill anybody!" The boy protested, dropping down to my eye level and staying there, crouching. I realized that fighting off this girl was futile, and I stopped struggling, and eyed him with wide eyes, flickering to look at the girl as well. She certainly was stronger than she looked, and if that was anything to tell, it was a useless struggle on my end anyway, with him in the picture too. I took the two of them in as I assessed the situation.

They both look to be about fourteen years old, and look _filthy_. Like, _I've-been-living-in-the-woods-for-the-past-few-days_, dirty. They both are covered in scrapes and dirt, and the boy's jeans are ripped around the thigh. I can't make out if he has any wounds, however. The girl looks to be unharmed, but there are a hundred little scratches around her ankles, like she had fallen into some thorns or something similar.

Now that I'm closer, I can read what's on their shirts. _Camp Half-Blood?_ They both have leather necklaces with oddly mismatched beads on them. The girl looks like she has more than the guy.

"What do you want?" I said, and to my mortification, two tears slip from the corners of my eyes and slide down my cheek, stinging an open wound I didn't even know I had. It was times like these I really hated I was a girl. Stupid emotions. Take a hint, and go away. "Please don't hurt me,"

The girl's stormy grey eyes softened a bit, and she shook her head to get her messy blonde hair out of her eyes. A forgotten ponytail holder fell to the ground by her feet with a small _thump!_ "What's your name?" she asked, her eyes flickering to the boy crouching in front of me. "What are you doing in the middle of the forest?"

I swallowed, looking down to my feet and fidgeting. I guess I had no choice but to be truthful, since they might be able to stop that thing if it came back for me. And then I remember what I was trying to defend myself from in the first place, and send a nervous glance over at the pathway a few feet away. "I'm Melaina. I'm in here because I had to get away from that… that, _thing_."

The girl looked troubled. "I'm Annabeth, and this idiot over here is Percy. What thing? And why were you running from him?" as she asked, a rumble came from where it had before, and I cried out in fear, scooting closer to the girl as Percy's hand dropped into his pocket, where he had put the pen. Hey, I might not trust them, but anything was better than being eaten, in my book, even getting close to two strangers I hadn't even really met yet.

"He killed him," I whimpered, half-hiding behind Annabeth as she looked down at me in confusion. "Daddy." Her eyes widened and she looks at Percy in question, mouthing something that I didn't catch. He nodded, and at that moment, footsteps came into earshot from the woods. I shrunk down so only my eyes were peering out from behind the girl, my hands clutching her waist in a panic. Normally, the idea of touching people made me ill, but now it made me feel a teensy bit safer. Nothing like a life or death situation to change you!

Her eyes narrowed, and she knelt down to grab her dagger, and pulled herself from my grip in the process. As she did, she snatched up my knife as well, offering it back to me without a second glance. "Don't attack me," she joked, before her face turned serious. "and stay right there. Don't move."

I nodded, shrinking back into the shadows as the footsteps pounded on the ground ahead of me, and the man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, laughing cruelly and swinging a pitchfork from the barn in his giant hands. I pressed myself against a tree, my fingers digging into the bark. A scream erupted out of my throat before I could stop it, and I closed my eyes in terror as the thing found me with his eyes.

"Well, well, well," it rumbled, its gigantic mouth opening in a rotten smile. "There she is!" The thing started towards me, but Percy cut it off, pulling out his sword with a flourish and slashing at it, causing it to roar in anger. Everywhere it stepped, the ground rumbled. Leaves fell from the trees overhead when it laughed.

"Fools! Give me the girl and I will let you live… this time," Annabeth dropped into a fighting stance in front of me, pointing her dagger at the giant man in challenge. My mouth was bone dry. I had no idea what to do.

"Fáte kopriá, frikió!" she yelled out, and my mind automatically thought, _Eat dung, freak!_ Then I wondered how I had known that, since it was in a language I couldn't even name. Just another reason to add onto the list of why I was a total freak.

"Have it your way," it laughed loudly and charged, tossing Percy to the side like a rag doll, and crashed weapons with Annabeth. He hit a tree with a nasty _crack!_, falling into a limp heap at the foot of it. He wasn't moving.

I stood pinned with fear against the tree as I watched Annabeth battle for leverage. Across the clearing, Percy stirred. He was groaning, struggling to get to his feet. I had to do something to help. Annabeth couldn't beat that thing from her position. Slowly, not to draw any attention to myself, I edged towards Percy's fallen form, sticking to the shadows. I picked up his sword, surprised at how natural holding such a lethal weapon felt.

I crept up behind the monster, who was now gloating to Annabeth about winning this fight already. _Cocky_, I scoffed, raising the sword in my hand in preparation for the final blow.

Closing my eyes, I yelled out, thrusting the sword into the man's back, causing him to freeze where he stood. He made a choked sound of shock, and I slowly opened my eyes, the sword still inside of him.

When I pulled it out, he dissolved into a pile of sand, which was blown away by the slight breeze that rustled through the forest. But not without some of it getting on me and Annabeth. Some even got into my mouth, which was _totally_ gross, by the way. Ick!

I breathed hard, still clutching Percy's sword in my hands. From in front of me, Annabeth stood there, breathing hard as well, her dagger hanging limp from her hand at her side as she stared in awe at me. Across the clearing, Percy groaned, still struggling to get up, and Annabeth seemed to snap out of her daze, running to him while pulling something out of her pocket as she went. I watched as she fed him something that seemed to revitalize him, and with her help, got up.

Now that the threat was eliminated, I felt exhausted. The sword swung down to hang loosely in the palm of my hand, the tip on the forest floor. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I realized that adrenaline was probably the only thing keeping me standing right now.

Walking towards where Percy stood leaning on Annabeth, I held out his sword for him. He took it from me with a crooked smile. I took a deep breath, my mind still blank in panic, trying to process everything that had happened to me today. Staring wildly, I gestured to where that thing had been, breathing out harshly. I muttered an oath that would've gotten me in big trouble had my dad heard it. But then I realized that my dad was dead.

My knees buckled underneath me as my entire world spun dizzyingly, a blur of color, and I crumpled to the ground in a dead faint, too overwhelmed to deal with a single thing else.

* * *

**This will be following the events of BoL, TLO, and the HOO books, with only Melaina LaElpis added to the characters. Everything else will basically remain canon. Review if you are interested. I will try to update this once a week, but forgive me if I miss a say. Hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think of it.**

** ~Momo**


	2. I kiss the ground

**I know! Two chapters in two days. On a roll right here. Won't let this story die, man. Promise. Actually, I'll swear it, on the RIVER STYX, no less. Bwuhahahaha.**

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_Name: __**Μέλαινα Λα Ελπίς**__  
Translation: __**Melaina LaElpis**__  
Greek for __**"Hope in the Darkness"**_

* * *

I woke up to hushed voices having a heated discussion somewhere above me.

My eyes felt like lead, and my body ached all over, as if I had been in a street fight and hadn't won. Inside of my pounding head, my thoughts were groggy, trying to process what had happened to me, and making very slow progress. I could still hear the voices arguing over me, but they sounded as if they were underwater, and impossible to decipher. I wanted nothing more than to sink back into the blessed darkness and soothe my aching head, but I was confused. Where was I? This didn't feel like my bed…

I gasped, my eyes fluttering open to see a dazzling, star-filled sky above me. It took my breath away. Even living in the countryside, fairly far away from any large type of civilization, I had never seen so many lights in the night sky at once. It was absolutely beautiful. I stared up at it, mesmerized, until the voices around me faded out and I realized I was not alone.

My eyes flickered over to the two teenagers from before, peering down at me curiously, and a little warily. Maybe they were worried that I was going to attack them again, but I honestly didn't know if I had the energy to get up, let alone defend myself. I swallowed painfully, my throat dry and scratchy. I turned my gaze to my surroundings, still seeing familiar forest on all sides, but instead of a leafy canopy like from before, it was bare, exposing the dazzling night sky above us.

"Hey," I croaked out, coughing slightly. My speaking seemed to shake them out of their momentary shock, and the girl, Annabeth came over and knelt next to my head. Now, normally I have a thing against people touching me, but when she brushed my messy hair out of my face, I didn't complain. I guess fighting together in a life or death situation kind of helped complete strangers bond with one another more than you'd think.

"Hey yourself," she responded, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a slightly squished, saran-wrapped square of something that looked like a brownie. I wondered what it was, because it looked chocolate, but it smelled more like pastries if anything. And then I caught myself, and wondered how I could smell something out of the range of my nose. Losing it, I'm telling you! "How are you feeling?"

"Like I ran for ten miles and then killed somebody," Percy barked out a laugh, flashing me a quick grin that made me smile faintly as well. "and then like I was jumped and knocked out by a bunch of delinquents." Annabeth rolled her stormy eyes, unwrapping the square and breaking off half. While I watched, she held out the piece for me to take. I raised an eyebrow at her, eying the pastry suspiciously, like,_ okay, we might have just battled for our lives together, but give me one reason why I should trust anything you give me!_ She seemed to get where my thoughts were going, and she rolled her eyes.

"Look, if I was going to kill you, I would have done it earlier, trust me. I am much more than capable of handling myself." I had no doubt that she could. Even horribly outmatched, I knew that she would never yield. There was something about this girl that just radiated smugness and power, and a sort of _I'm-smarter-than-you-and-I-know-it_ attitude.

When I still didn't move to take it, something in her expression softened. "It'll make you feel better, I swear." Nodding slightly, I slowly reached out and grasped the crumpled square, bringing it up to my mouth and popping a corner in. My eyes widened in surprise, savoring the flavor as it filled me with warmth. Dad's snickerdoodles, fresh from the over, still warm and gooey inside. I closed my eyes briefly, holding onto the happy memory in an attempt to make it last longer. But, before I even knew what was happening, I had eaten all of my portion and was blinking in surprise at my empty hand.

"Wow," I said, feeling better than I had all day. "That stuff is good."

Annabeth and Percy shared a look, something seeming to pass between the two as they watched the other. They said nothing, but it was obvious that they were deciding something. Something about me. Man, that was annoying. I mean, hello, I'm right here! I snorted, struggling to pull myself into a sitting position and utterly failing. Percy glanced over, saw what I wanted, and hurried over to me, grasping my shoulders firmly in his hands and slowly tilting me upward. I swung my hands as black spots danced across my vision, and I pressed a hand carefully to my pounding head. "Woah."

"Careful there," Percy warned, keeping a steadying hand on my back as I blinked the spots away, shaking my head slightly in disorientation. "You took a bit of a nasty fall earlier. I would've caught you, but I was somewhat… indisposed." He looked a bit put out and slightly angry at himself, and I wonder why. It wasn't as if he had known when I was going to clock out for the evening. Geez, man. Chill out on the self-hate.

"Nah, it's fine," I mumble, looking up now that the dizziness has passed. "Not like I gave you guys any warning, either. Help me up the rest of the way, will you?"

They each hold onto one of my shoulders and help me swing myself into a standing position, keeping ahold as I swayed slightly, feeling the blood rush to all corners of my body once more. I took a few deep breaths, feeling stronger as the oxygen started circulating around my body. Once I felt steady enough, I pulled myself from their grasps, stretching my back and feeling pops as my joints go back into place. I turned around and found the two of them watching me carefully, making me uncomfortable. "What?"

"Nothing," Percy said quickly, eyes widening. _Yeah, right, like I would totally believe that. _"Just making sure you aren't going to burst into flames." Annabeth elbowed him roughly, giving him a dirty look. "Ow! What was that for, Wise Girl?"

"You idiot," she said, rolling her eyes in disgust at him. "you're going to freak her out even more than she already is." I blinked at the two of them, holding my arms up to make sure I wasn't smoking or anything. Whatever I was expecting him to say to me, it certainly wasn't that.

"Burst into flames," I repeated, slightly bemused. "Can I ask why?" Percy opened his mouth, and then hesitated, edging slightly away from Annabeth as if he was afraid that she would punch him again. She probably would have. I hadn't known these two for more than a few minutes, and already I could anticipate their actions. Great, I was turning into even more of a freak than I already was.

"Okay, just hear me out okay?" he asked, looking at me seriously, and I hesitated a moment before nodding. Percy sat down, and motioned for me to do the same, which I did. I dug one of my hands into the cold dirt while the other picked at a hole on the side of my boot. "Okay, so, like… you know the myths about the Greek Gods, right?" I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. _This isn't the time for a history lesson,_ I wanted to tell him, but managed to control myself by biting down on my tongue. "Well… they still exist."

Well, that wasn't what I was expecting… again. I was losing my new touch, I swear. My fingers stopped picking at my shoe as I stared at him. Was this some kind of sick joke? I guess I looked like I was about to jump up and bolt or something because he gestured at me to wait as he tried to form another complete sentence. "Hear me out, please. So, yeah, they still exist. And sometimes, the Gods have kids with mortals, and those kids are called half-bloods, or-"

I cut him off. "Demigods, yeah I know, I've read some Greek Mythology books before. But what you're saying is crazy! They're just myths…" I trailed off as Annabeth knelt down between the two of us, looking sympathetic. "Aren't they?" My voice sounded like I was begging for her to agree with me, to say that Percy was crazy, off his rocker, losing his mind. Instead, she shook her head.

"It's real," I shook my head furiously, in disbelief. Great. Not only was I lost in the forest, but I was lost with two psychopaths. Could my day get _any_ worse? And no, world, that is not a challenge. "Melaina, I'm not lying to you. I promise." Something in her eyes stopped me from protesting. She was perfectly sane, I could tell. Either they were telling the truth, or they were both insane. Probably the former, knowing my rotten luck.

"Okay…" I trailed off, swallowing harshly. "Let's say I believe you. Let's say that I believe that these… _Gods_, exist. But what does that have to do with any of this?" My mind flashed to my father, pinned underneath a giant of a man, screaming in agony, and I furiously blinked the tears forming in my eyes away. Now was not the time to be emotional like the girl I was, now was the time to be the hardened soul that grew up with only her father for company, tucked away and hidden from society in an old farmhouse miles away from everybody else. I was stronger than this. _Come on, Mel, show it._

"Well, we," Percy gestured at himself, and then Annabeth. "Are half-bloods, and you've given us proof that you're one as well." My mind spun at this new revelation. These two kids, sitting in front of me, were half _god_? My day just got worse. It had happened. My god. Or was it gods now that I knew there was more than one? You know what, now's not the time. And did he just say that I was as well? Okay, now I _know_ that he was off his rocker.

"Wha- who?" I changed my question halfway through, deciding against trying to argue with the two of them, gesturing weakly at the two of them in exasperation. Annabeth seemed to understand what I was trying to ask, even as Percy stared at me, perplexed. Typical guy behavior, I guess. Daddy always used to do that when he had no idea what to do with me as well. _No, now is not okay to cry. Suck it up. Okay._

"My mother is Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy," she said matter-of-factly, sitting up a bit taller at that revelation, looking very proud of herself. "And that moron over there is a son of Poseidon." Percy made a noise of protest, mumbling something under his breath about how he was not a moron and paying later. I swear, these two fought like an old married couple. I could totally see them married one day, bickering over what color to paint their kitchen cupboards. The thought made me smirk as I turned my attention back to Annabeth, who was already staring at me. I glanced self-consciously down at myself, wondering if there was something on me, but there wasn't. "I'm just wondering who your godly parent is."

That did it for me. I lost it _completely._ Godly parent? No way! I started to laugh hysterically, clutching my stomach as tears finally roll down my cheeks. Through my little meltdown, I see the two of them exchange nervous glances, unsure what to do, so I make an attempt to compose myself. It's a few minutes before I even can breathe freely again. Wiping tears of mirth from my eyes, I clear my throat. "You guys got it all wrong. I have no godly parent."

Annabeth smiled wryly, shaking her head slightly. "Melaina, I know it's hard to grasp at first, but you do. I bet you have problems focusing, don't you?" I nodded, wondering where she was getting at. "That's because you're bred for war. To fight. That keeps you alive out there. Killing that monster? That was all instinct. Even your name is Greek. And, that stuff I gave you earlier to eat? That was ambrosia. Food of the Gods. If a mortal ate that, they would burn up into a pile of ashes. Only Gods and Half-Bloods can tolerate the stuff. You're a Half-Blood."

I sat there a moment, shocked into silence. I know that I should've been worried about the bigger things she had just told me, but all I could think was, "Since when was my name Greek?" I must've looked really confused, because Annabeth raised a questioning eyebrow at me. "My name is Greek?"

She laughed. "Melaina is the Ancient Greek form of Melanie. It means something like "darkness" or whatever." _Wow. I had no idea._

"Oh," I was silent for a second. "Well… you guys can just call me Melanie, if you want. Melaina sounds weird when you say it too often." I self-consciously ran a hand through my hair, watching as she shrugged, agreeing with me. "And while we're on the subject of Greece," I formed quotation marks with my hands, rolling my eyes when she opened her mouth in protest. "I want to show you something."

I reached inside of my dirt covered backpack, pulling out a photo of my mom and dad, pregnant with me. I held it out to Annabeth, raising my eyebrows slightly, and she took it with a frown. "That's my mom and dad, and I'm in that picture if you look close enough," I smiled wryly, shaking my head. "Both of them are there, right there! I don't see any gods."

Annabeth bit her lip, handing the picture to Percy and she scooted close to where I sat. I stayed where I was, letting her come closer, but eyed her warily as she did. I was not one for close contact, except for the people I love. So basically, one man. But he wasn't here anymore. "Melanie, I'm sorry, but, I don't think that's your actual father." _Excuse me? _My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean, not my father? Of course that's my father! I've lived with him my whole life," I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, thinking about my wayward thoughts about being adopted before, and furiously ignoring them. No way was I adopted. No way in _hell._ He was my father, and he loved me. He told me all the time that he did. "He has to be!"

"The fact that your mom is pregnant here with you," Annabeth said slowly, like I was an angry horse, trying to calm me down before I trampled her. "Means that she is definitely mortal. Plus, she looks a lot like you. But your father… please don't take this a bad way, but do you honestly see yourself in him at all?" She took the photo from Percy and placed it in my grasp, closing my hands carefully around it.

I swallowed, looking down and opening my hands. Now that I'm looking more closely, I really don't. We had nothing in common. We were total opposites. How had I not noticed it before? I should have at least vaguely looked like him, even if my mom's genes were that strong. But… no, I didn't. Nothing. This man… was not my father.

I didn't notice that I was crying until Annabeth pressed a handkerchief into my hand, and I gratefully used it to wipe my eyes, taking shaky breaths until I had composed myself. When I extended my hand to give her back her cloth, I saw that I was shaking, fairly violently. A tired sound escaped my throat, and I gave a shaky sigh.

"Okay," I said, not looking at either of them, embarrassed about my show of blatant emotion. "Okay, I believe you. But tell me one more thing." I looked up at them, trying to focus on the curiosity I felt instead of the throbbing pain in my heart. "Who _is_ my father?"

Percy shuffled uncomfortably, and Annabeth looked troubled.

"Well, we don't know. Where we live-" I cut her off.

"Camp Half-Blood?" she nodded. "Where is it? Is it nearby?"

"No," Percy cut in, shaking his head. "It's down in Long Island Sound."

I was confused. "Wait, so why are you so far out from your camp?"

Annabeth was the one to speak now. "We were on a scouting mission. Our satyrs," I raised my eyebrows at her and she waved me off. "Sniffed out a half-blood somewhere in Maine, and well, since we found you, I'm assuming you were the one."

"Ah." I had no words for that. "So about this camp… all of the demigods are there?"

"Well, the ones that have made it there. There could be hundreds of demigods out there who don't even know who they are. Some manage to live their lives without meeting a single monster. And then there's the unlucky few," he gestured to the three of them. "Once there, the Gods usually will claim their children. And if they don't," he paused, and Annabeth jumped in.

"If they don't, we have a place for you to stay as well."

"Alright," I nodded. "Okay, and you want me to go with you to this camp?"

"Yes, it's one of the only safe places for demigods, one of the only places we can be without worrying about being attacked." I frowned.

"Attacked? Like that… that, _thing_?"

"The giant," Annabeth supplied helpfully. I nodded. "Lastrygonian Giant. Cannibalistic monster from the Underworld." The way she said it, so matter-of-factly, made me slightly ill. That giant had murdered the man I had called my father my entire life. Even if he wasn't mine, biologically, he still held a place in my heart.

"Giant. Cannibal. Underworld," I said faintly, digging my fingers into the raw soil underneath me. "Got it."

"And," Percy cut in, glancing around nervously. "There are a lot more monsters that would love to dig their filthy claws into three demigods, so maybe we should get a move on?" My heart started to pound, and I pawed in my pocket until I found my knife, digging it out. Annabeth saw me do this, and shook her head at me. I tilted my head at her, confused.

"If we got attacked by a monster, that would be useless," she told me, holding up her dagger for me to see. It caught the light of the moon and gleamed brightly for a brief moment. "This is a dagger made of celestial bronze, one of the only things that can dispel monsters back to the Underworld."

"Alright," I nodded, putting my knife back into my pocket. "Alright. But where can I get one of those?"

"We have some extras at camp," she explained, and I made a sound of assent, clearing my throat slightly. I guess it was settled. I had to go to this camp with them. It sounded like the only place I would be able to grow up safe.

"So… how are we getting to this camp? And where is it located, anyway?"

"Long Island Sound, and don't worry about getting there, I'm on it," Percy supplied, hopping to his feet and taking a huge breath. As I watched him curiously, he brought his fingers to his mouth, giving two sharp, piercing whistles. Immediately, two shapes broke through the forest canopy, and I realized they were horses.

"They're beautiful!" I gasped.

They were horses, but they also had wings, with huge wingspans and delicate feathers. One was a gorgeous black, and one was a stunning white. They galloped to a halt in front of us, tossing their heads and neighing and just making horse sounds in general. As I watched them in awe, Percy came up to the beautiful black one, speaking softly to it. He seemed to frown, glancing back at me and hissing something. He kept on nodding and whispering to it, until I realized that he was actually carrying on a conversation with it.

Annabeth seemed to read my thoughts. "Son of Poseidon, his dad made horses, so he can communicate with them." I made a small sound of envy, my eyes still on the gorgeous black one. "He's asking them for a ride back to camp."

Percy straightened up then. "Alright! They're going to take us. Melanie, why don't you ride with me, since you've never ridden before? If you start to fall off, I could catch you better than Wise Girl." I turned to Annabeth, mouthing, _Wise Girl?_, but she just shook her head at me and waved her hand for me to go to Percy. She jumped on her Pegasus, petting his mane gently as he neighed at her.

I slowly walked over to Percy, shrinking back as the Pegasus both neighed in alarm and bucked away from me, almost knocking Annabeth right off of the back of the white one. Percy cried out, "Woah! Woah!" in alarm, calming them both down. "Mel- can I call you Mel?"

"No."

"-Mel is a friend, easy now."

They still neighed in apprehension as I carefully climbed on top of the black one, definitely not trusting me for some reason. I felt an ache in my heart, thinking about the animals my father and I kept on the farm, and how they always seemed wary of me as well. I guess I just wasn't an animal person.

Percy leaped on behind me, clucking his tongue twice, signaling to the Pegasus' to take air, which they did. I gasped in fright as my stomach swooped below me, leaning forward and burying my face in its mane. The Pegasus protested softly, shivering for a moment before Percy calmed it down. I closed my eyes as the wind whipped around me, grateful that I had worn a jacket. It was freezing up in the air!

I decided that I did not like flying. Not one bit. And I couldn't wait until I had both my feet on solid ground again.

Behind me, Percy, held onto my waist to keep himself steady, whooping as the Pegasus swayed in the wind. I groaned and clutched the mane tighter, my eyes squeezed shut tightly. I thought that if I looked down, I might get sick. I decided not to chance it.

I was lost in my thoughts when I felt Percy tapping me on my shoulder. I turned my head slightly so I could hear him, keeping my eyes tightly shut and my teeth clenched to stop my screams of terror from coming out.

"Hey, we're almost there, don't worry," he said, patting my back. "The Pegasus won't drop you, promise." I didn't reply, afraid I would spill my guts on _him_ now.

It felt like hours later that I felt us swooping down low, making me scream out in horror, convinced we were going to die. My eyes flew open, and I saw us descending to the ground, which was covered in green hills. To one side, there was a vast forest, so dense I couldn't see anything even from up above. To another, the ocean, dark and mysterious in the mostly dark early morning sky. Ahead of us, I saw a gigantic pine tree, taller than any of the trees dad and I had used to celebrate Christmas. There seemed to be something curled at the base, something bright green and scaly, but we were going so fast that it just appeared to be a large blur. Beyond it was the strangest collection of buildings I had ever seen. Some were the elegant Grecian style that I recognized from books I'd read, and others were more modern. We appeared to be heading straight for this huge, white house, with a porch that was painted white to match. We flew low over the tree, and I braced myself for impact, screaming into the dawning sky.

Suddenly, I felt ground underneath our Pegasus' hooves, and we galloped to a halt in front of the building. Without wasting a single second, I threw myself sideways off of the horse, facedown onto the ground. Not caring how ridiculous I looked, I physically kissed the ground, eternally grateful to be back on it once more. Shakily, I climbed back to my feet, and saw Percy watching me, trying not to laugh. I shot him a hateful glare, crossing my arms self-consciously across my chest, watching as Annabeth hopped off of her own Pegasus. With the riders off, the two horses leapt into the air, flying off into the distant sky, turning colors as the sun rose.

I spun around as the doors to the large white house opened, and an aging man in a wheelchair came out. He smiled when he saw us, and Percy and Annabeth rushed forward to him. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I stood there awkwardly while they greeted each other. Poking my shoe into the grass, I looked up as I heard my name being called. Annabeth gestured for me to come over there as well, and so I came, my hands in my jacket pockets.

"And who might this be?" The man in the wheelchair asked, holding his hand out for me to grasp. I leaned forward, shaking it. He had a very firm grip for somebody that old. "I'm Chiron, the head instructor here." I wondered what it was that he instructed. What did people even do at this camp?

"Melaina LaElpis," I told him curtly, putting my hands back into my pockets once he let go. He had twinkling blue eyes, set off by his short, curly brown beard. I felt a twinge of sadness, reminded of the man I had thought of as a father for eleven long years. "Please call me Melanie. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, my dear girl. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," he turned in his wheelchair so that he was facing Annabeth. "Have you explained everything to her?"

"Yes, Chiron," she confirmed. "All briefed and ready to go." Chiron nodded, seemingly satisfied, before turning to me.

"I hate to be rude, but it is far too late for us to be awake. Percy will show you to your temporary cabin for tonight, at least. Annabeth, would you mind coming with me?" The two shared a knowing look, and Annabeth turned to me, squeezing me shoulder and murmuring a goodbye. They turned and headed for the big white house, shutting the door behind them.

"Alright," Percy looked down at me, dwarfed by his height. "Let's go get some rest." I yawned, my eyes fluttering, realizing for the first time how utterly exhausted I was. It had been a busy day, and adrenaline filled night for me. Sleep had never sounded any better to me. We began to walk down a path that led to a bunch of small buildings, arranged in a type of U shape that was hard to make out in the semi-darkness. I followed Percy, pretty much dead on my feet, stumbling ever few feet or so. About halfway there, he took pity on me, motioning for me to stop. When I did, he scooped me up into his arms, letting me hang there as he continued on. Usually, I hated human contact, but I was so tired that it really didn't even register inside of my brain.

I must've drifted off, because the next thing I knew, we were stopped in front of an old, worn cabin, with a funny insignia on the front of it. Percy knocked on the door, and a few minutes later, a pair of twins came outside, yawning loudly and rubbing their eyes.

"What?" The one on the right asked tiredly, not even taking me in at all. "Percy? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Hey Connor, hey Travis. Look, we have a new camper here, just found her and brought her here. She's had a really rough time of it, so be nice, okay?" he gave the two a pointed look, like he knew they couldn't be trusted farther than he could throw them, but at the moment, the two looked too tired to do much of anything.

They did perk up slightly, however, once they saw me half-asleep in Percy's arms. "Hey, what's your name?" the one called Connor, asked me. His brother, who had to be Travis, gave me a brief smile, yawning again as he leaned against the doorframe. "We don't have a lot of room, but I'm sure we can find you a place to sleep."

"Mel-Mel-Melanie," I yawned, my eyes closing briefly as Percy gently lowered me to the ground. "Pleased to meet y-you. That would be great." I must've looked pretty pathetic, plastered head to toe in forest decay and dirt, in ripped up and monster covered clothes, and with only a dirty backpack over my shoulder, but the two smiled tiredly and led me inside. I turned around briefly to give Percy a little wave, and he gave me a whispered goodnight as the door shut behind me.

Inside, the lighting was bright enough for me to see crowded bunk beds, and tons of people sleeping on the floor in purple sleeping bags. The rest of the room was too dark for me to make out. The walls could have been any color, I couldn't tell at all. As I followed the twins, I had to make sure to watch where I stepped, or I might've squished somebody in their sleep. I didn't think that would make anybody happy at this time of night. Or anytime at all. Wouldn't be too great of a first impression, either.

The twins led me over to a small corner on the right side of the room, free of people in sleeping bags. They told me to stay there a moment, and returned with a sleeping bag for me to use, as well as an orange t-shirt to change into tomorrow, and a pair of shorts. Wishing me a goodnight, the two went back to their bunks, leaving me to settle down into my sleeping bag, alone in the shadows of my corner.

Where nobody would see me as I silently began to cry, for the man I called my father, and for my life, which had just changed forever.

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**I might've posted the second chapter one day after the first, but don't expect that all of the time. School starts for me on Monday, but I will try to post weekly. If I get done sooner, maybe two chapters a week. But yeah, hope you enjoyed. Review to tell me what you think so far.**


	3. I am Unwanted

**The third installment of my novel! Enjoy!**

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_Name: __**Μέλαινα Λα Ελπίς**__  
Translation: __**Melaina LaElpis**__  
Greek for __**"Hope in the Darkness"**_

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You would've thought, after as crazy of a day I'd had, that I would've been able to have a nice, relaxing night's sleep, free of any dreams. I mean, c'mon. I had to have been too exhausted to even come up with a nightmare, right?

I guess life just loves to screw with me, because my night was anything but peaceful.

Pretty much as soon as my puffy eyes slid shut, I was gone. Instantly, my slippery black sleeping back was no longer underneath me, and I felt like I was floating on air. It would've been a pleasant sensation, except for the shivers that ran down my neck, telling me that I was not alone. I tried to crane my neck to look around for the culprit, but I was frozen. I couldn't even blink. Completely paralyzed.

Suddenly, all peace was shattered. My hair flew up and into my face as I shot downward, falling now, the wind roaring in my ears furiously as I fell through the black void. I was utterly helpless, unable to do anything more than breathe, which was getting steadily more difficult as I began to panic. _What was at the bottom? Was there a bottom? _Certainly a fall like this would flatten me on impact, and I honestly had no desire to become a teenaged pancake on the bottom of whatever abyss this was.

As I fell, a voice chuckled, echoing through my mind.

_Foolish girl. There is no escape from time. You might have been well hidden before, but now… you will serve me a great purpose._

I had no idea what was going on, or who, possibly _what_ that voice was. Serve him? I wanted to yell back defiantly at the voice, but I was still frozen. All I could do was strain my eyes in the darkness as I plummeted downwards, unable to see a thing, not even myself. I was all alone, except for the presence in my thoughts.

_I await you, Queen of Shadows. Soon…_

_"Melanie?"_

I jolted awake, sure I was still falling. It took me a moment to realize I was still safely in my sleeping bag, curled up in a tiny ball inside with my face pressed against the wall in my corner. My shirt was drenched in sweat, sticking to my back unpleasantly, and I could feel myself shaking. Before I could even think about what my dream was, it slipped away, right out of my fingers like sand.

I sat up quickly, shocking one of the twins from last night so badly that they dropped their sword. My eyes were drawn to it as the bronze weapon bounced on the cabin floor. The other brother snorted, winking at me and shifting his weight onto his left foot, and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah," I rubbed my eyes wearily. "I'm awake. Hi."

Now that it was clearly daytime, I could make out what the twins looked like. They were completely identical, as far as I could tell, with sneaky, crooked grins and upturned noses. Even their ears were slightly pointed under their curly brown hair. Both were tall and lanky, and wore bright orange camp shirts paired with black shorts and converse shoes. I got a distinct aura of mischief from the two of them, and instantly knew that they were not the kind of people to trust with anything valuable that you wanted to see again.

Now that it was daytime, the twins looked more lively, and ready to wreck some chaos. Unconsciously, I scooted a little bit away from the two of them, slightly nervous. I had never been, nor would I probably ever be, a people person, and especially not in the morning.

Of course, after waking up to the exhausting, horrible day yesterday, I didn't feel very enthusiastic at the moment. Could it be because of my father- wait. I guess I had to call him my stepfather now. My stomach twisted uneasily as my mind flashed back to those horrible memories, my eyes sliding shut for a moment as I tried not to have another panic attack. A few deep breaths later, I was alright, and my eyes opened again to find the twins uncomfortably watching me.

For some reason, the two seemed to sense that I was not one to be messed with, and their expressions morphed into something akin to seriousness once they saw me watching them. But, hey! They still looked suspicious to me. You can't get anything past me. I watched them with narrowed eyes as they shifted nervously. It was almost like they were a bit scared of me, which, while it would've been nice, I was only eleven years old. If they were really demigods (which I was still having a bit of trouble grasping, by the way.), then they shouldn't be afraid of a moody adolescent girl like me.

"Yeah, um," one of them stuttered, not meeting my eyes. "I'm Connor, that's Travis. You met us last night?" I nodded at them, still eyeing them nervously. Whatever he was going to say, he stuttered and changed his train of thought. "Well, it's time for breakfast. Everybody else is out- so feel free to, like… use the shower and meet us outside, alright?"

I blinked. Oh. Well, that made sense. "Alright." The two of them turned and headed out the cabin door. Stretching and slowly climbing to my feet, I bent down and folded up my used sleeping bag, tucking it behind the closest bunk bed. Now that it was daytime, I could make out the inside of the cabin, not that there was much inside. There were faded oak floors, with about 10 sets of bunk beds. All over the floor were rumpled sleeping bags, like nobody cared about the tripping hazard. Go figure. I couldn't remember what cabin I was even in, but I felt too dirty to think about anything but a shower.

I picked my way across the sea of bags, heading towards the only other door besides the front door, which I assumed lead to the bathroom. Opening the door, I stepped inside the nondescript room, with half a dozen showers with curtains on either side, and several toilet stalls on an opposite wall. Next to the door were several sinks, with a large mirror on the wall, slightly misty from people using the showers before me, I assumed.

I shut the door, heading right for the closest shower and dropping my new, clean clothes onto the least dirty part of the floor. Peeling off my disgusting, sweat and dirt covered clothes, I stepped into the shower, turning the water all the way on the hot side. Stifling a moan, I stood there for a second, greedily enjoying the pounding water washing away all traces of yesterday. It was a good five minutes before I moved to scrub forest decay out of my hair with some random bottle of shampoo I found on the floor inside of the stall.

I sighed, realizing I better get out soon if I wanted to eat at all. My stomach rumbled in agreement as I shut off the water, grabbing a plain white towel hanging on a hook outside of the shower. I quickly dried my hair and body off, pulling my new orange shirt over my head distastefully. Orange was _so_ not my color. At least the jean shorts were dark enough, though. Something might have to be done about the shirt, however.

I shoved my feet back inside of my dirty shoes, having no replacements for them. My eyes landed on a black comb sitting on the edge of the sink, and I seized it, attacking my mess of hair. It took a good chunk of time for me to even be able to run it through my hair, let alone make it lie flat, but I eventually succeeded. Unfortunately, by then, the mirror was unfogged and when I glanced up, I could see my reflection.

I curled my lip, my eyes flashing over my pale face, dark bags under my equally dark eyes. I looked like I hadn't slept in months. And, just as I had suspected, the orange looked disgusting on me, turning my skin tone sallower than usual. Quickly, I tore my gaze away, hurrying out the door of the bathroom with my dirty clothes, shutting it once again behind me. I had no time to deal with petty things like reflections and clothes. But then again, what sort of real person did?

Nobody worth my time, that was.

I stopped briefly by my abandoned sleeping nook, tucking my dirty clothes inside half-hazardly. Knowing I had wasted enough time as it was, I quickly made my way to the door, bursting through it and startling the twins, who had apparently decided to wait outside for me. I felt a brief pang of gratitude for them, as they really didn't have to. It wouldn't have been that hard for me to find my way to the dining hall, probably.

"Done," I said quietly, self-consciously smoothing down my shirt and my pants as the two eyed me once more. "Sorry I took so long."

Connor shook his head, waving away my half-hearted apologies. "All good, now let's go eat. I'm starving!" I silently agreed, and followed him and Travis as they headed down the cabin steps.

Now that it was daytime, I could see everything much more clearly. My original assumption that the buildings were arranged in a sort of U shape was correct, and it looked like there were about twelve of them, and not a single one looked like another. They couldn't have looked more different if they tried to. All around them were rolling green rills, thriving in the golden sun. In the center of the cabins was a gigantic fire pit, and a girl sat there, poking the flames. I tore my eyes from it and the cabins as I walked behind the twins, heading down a warn footpath through the grass.

We passed the big white house that Percy and Annabeth had brought me to first thing this morning, as well as a huge basketball court next to a sparring rink, filled with weapons. I could see swords, daggers, shields, and some I couldn't even name. All of them glowed bronze, just like Percy's sword and Annabeth's dagger, and I remembered that the two had promised to get me a weapon once I was settled in at camp. I stored that information in the back of my mind for later.

A huge area came into view as we walked over a hill, a large flat pavilion with thirteen tables arranged next to each other in a hollow square. In the center of the empty space was a huge fire pit, sending smoke spiraling into the pure blue sky. The hall was packed with campers, sitting in groups at different tables, all eating breakfast and talking. Some tables were empty, and some were too crowded, which was odd to me. I wondered why they just didn't move to a free table.

As we walked into the area I had realized was the dining place, all talking stopped. A hush fell over the crowd as at the largest table, the man from last night smiled. It took me a second, but I remembered that his name was Chiron, and I returned his smile with a faint one of my own. The twins nodded at Chiron, before glancing back at me. When they were sure that I was still with them, they gestured towards a crowed table, leading me towards it. When we got there, all of the campers looked up, eying the three of us with a mixture of annoyance and interest.

"Alright guys, this is Melanie, Melanie, this is Cabin eleven, the Hermes and undetermined kids." Travis informed the table of kids, some of who groaned, making me scowl. It wasn't like I asked to join _their_ cabin. I was brought there.

"Regular or undetermined?" a girl asked, her eyes boring into mine, making me glance away uncomfortably, shifting nervously under so many people watching me. Next to me, Connor sighed.

"Undetermined," his words elicited a massive groan, and I felt myself flush red. I angrily shoved my hands into my shorts pockets, glaring at the ground. Never mind the fact that I was unwanted. I had never been around so many people in my entire life. Really, the only person I had seen was my father, and a few mailmen that came to deliver mail to the countryside. I felt my throat sting as I thought of my old home, and so I quickly diverted my thoughts.

"Be nice," Travis cut across the group's complaints. "We're happy to have you, right guys?" Unwillingly, the group nodded, muttering under the breath to each other. With a pointed look from him, they scooted sideways, making enough room for me to sit down with them, although my appetite was long gone by now. Not lifting my head, I sat down in between two girls with identical pointy noses and brown eyes, feeling their gaze on me without looking.

I savagely grabbed a plate of eggs, shoving them into my mouth quickly. I still didn't look up, choosing to look at my lap instead. Anything was better than those stupid, annoying stares.

God, did anybody here know how to mind their own business? Obviously not.

Gradually, the talking and general clatter resumed throughout the tables, and the attention was diverted from me. Relieved, I began to look up more and more, and eventually met the gaze of Percy, sitting all by himself at one of the tables. His green eyes twinkled with sympathy at me, and before I knew what I was doing, I was standing up and walking towards him, causing the talking to die down again. Refusing to look at anybody but him, I came over to him and sat down.

He gave me a shocked look, before looking up and scowling at the people I could feel glaring holes into the back of my shirt. Instantly, they all looked away, talking amongst themselves. Percy glanced at the big table, where Chiron was frowning slightly at me, but when he didn't do anything, Percy turned to me with a small smile.

"Hey," he told me, passing me a plate filled with eggs and pancakes. My mouth watered at the smell, and I instantly dug in, appetite restored. "How's it going? Sleep well?"

My hand froze halfway to my mouth with a heaping amount of pancake. Had I slept well? I couldn't even remember. Strange. "I think so," I told him, shoving the food into my mouth and chewing. "Can't remember."

He laughed, taking a sip of water, before passing me a glass for my own. I told him thank you, not realizing how thirsty I was until the water was all gone. We ate together in comfortable silence until I broke it. "Do you mind that I sat here?"

Percy turned to me, his brow furrowing. "Nah, it's just that usually people have to sit at their cabin tables, but yours is so full that I don't think Chiron really minds. Plus," he added, winking at me. "It's your first day, I'm sure he'll go easy on you."

I set my fork down, confused. "Why can't people sit at whatever table they want? That's so stupid! I mean, there's space everywhere!" Percy glanced nervously at the sky, and I did to, not seeing anything odd. "What?"

"Well, you see, we sit at tables based on who our godly parent is, and it's always been like that," he said, looking at me with an expression I couldn't read. "The gods don't really like change."

I thought about what he said, and decided that I really didn't care. "Well, as long as you're here by yourself, I'm going to sit with you," I proclaimed, smiling slightly, which vanished when he frowned. "What?"

"Well, I'm only here until lunch today. I'm heading back to the city. My freshman orientation is tomorrow, and I have to be there." He looked a bit guilty, which in turn made me feel slightly bad. I shook my head at him.

"Alright, when are you going to be back?" he thought for a moment.

"I should be back by Friday, I think," he scrunched up his eyebrows. "Annabeth is coming into the city tomorrow to watch a movie with me after my school thing, but besides that she pretty much lives here year round."

"Do a lot of kids live here all year?" I asked, curious. He nodded his head. "Why is that?"

"Don't have a place to go," he mumbled, looking down in sadness. "Or the monster attacks are too intense and close together for it to be safe for them."

Well, that made sense to me. From what I'd determined, Camp Half-Blood was immune to monsters in some way. Suddenly, a bell jangled, and everybody got up, dispersing in various directions. I climbed to my feet when Percy did, gasping. Across the middle of the floor of the hall, I could see a jagged strip of black rock, sealed badly. My heart pounded in my chest and I could feel sweat forming on my skin under my clothes.

It was identical to the one in front of my house.

Percy heard my gasp, and followed my gaze to the crack. His expression darkened, and he turned to me. "Don't worry about it." I kept my eyes on the malformation in the stone, mesmerized. "It's time for cabin activities, so why don't you go catch up to your cabin?" I snapped out of it, mumbling a thank you before I turned and hurried after the retreating backs of the twins, not wanting to be left behind.

But I could not get what I had just seen out of my head.

* * *

Our first activity turned out to be sword fighting, with cabin five, the Ares cabin. I got an uneasy feeling about their campers as soon as they met us in the fighting arena, a bunch of big, ugly kids with huge muscles and ripped shirts. I knew instantly that this was not a cabin you wanted to piss off in any way, shape, or form. Standing next to their impossibly buff bodies made me feel smaller than an ant, and I subconsciously tugged at my shirt, trying to make it look larger on me.

One of the girls, a huge beefy machine with choppy brown hair scowled in my direction, making me nervous. I instantly dropped my gaze, twisting my hands underneath me as she and the twins stood in front of their combined cabins.

"Alright, same routine as yesterday. Get your weapons and choose a partner," she roared, making any talking come to a grinding halt. "You!" she pointed a meaty finger at me, and my blood ran cold. "You're new. Come here."

I did as she said, and she looked me up and down, lip curling. I felt myself turn pink under her scrutiny, judging my faults. "You need a weapon?" Nodding at her, she grunted, pointing at a box of weapons. "Your pick." I swallowed, dropping to my knees by the box and looking through it.

There were daggers and swords of dozens of lengths, as well as shields and other weapons. My eyes were drawn towards the swords, and I picked up one after another, not really finding one that felt alright to me. At the bottom of the box, I found a medium sized bronze one that was relatively balanced to me, but still felt awkward. Sighing, I figured that was the best I was going to get. When I straightened up, I came face to face with the same girl. I reeled backward, and almost fell flat on my butt, but at the last second her arms came out to steady me.

"Careful," she said gruffly, placing me straight on the ground and letting go immediately, like I had burned her. "Don't need any more injuries than necessary. We have enough of them to begin with."

I scowled down at my feet, my sword dangling from my right hand, wisely keeping my mouth shut, though my mind screamed at me to tell her that I wasn't a helpless child. Something told me that it wouldn't go over well. I wonder why.

All around me, people were pairing up, usually one from each cabin, with a few of the Hermes kids pairing together due to the sheer number of them. And, with my rotten luck…. I was the odd man out. Again. Why was I still getting surprised when this happened?

I swore softly, looking up slowly at the huge girl that still stood towering over me, her mouth turned up in a half smirk now. When my eyes met hers, something in hers softened just a tad, and she stuck her hand out for me to shake. I stared at it dumbfounded for a second before I took it roughly, narrowing my eyes up at her. This seemed to please her.

"Names Clarisse LaRue," she told me, an evil grin flashing across her face. "And I think I'm going to like you."

I refused to show any fear or nervousness, and so I shook her hand once, dropping it and fighting the urge to shiver, I cleared my throat. "Melaina LaElpis," I informed her, deciding to use the more impressive of my names, standing a little bit taller. She nodded at me, satisfied, before she put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, it's your first day, so you probably have no idea how to sword fight?" she raised her eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes, nodding. "Then watch."

In an instant, she moved, causing me to jump back with a hiss of surprise, but she was not aiming for me. Clarisse shot past me, her spear appearing out of nowhere. As I watched, she took down three straw dummies behind me in record time, their guts spilling out onto the floor. Another blur, and a knife was slashing through them, and their heads rolled over to stop at my feet.

I couldn't help but be impressed. Even though they were just dummies, that was a pretty impressive move, and I had no doubt that she would be even more deadly against real people. She looked up and saw me admiring her, and gave me a feral grin.

"Sword fighting isn't my best strength," she told me, her lip curling. "But I do know some tricks, so I need you to copy what I do." She knelt next to the box, pulling out a sword a bit larger than mine before coming back to stand beside me. I readied my sword as she raised her own.

* * *

I had no idea how long we spent in that arena training, but by the time a gong ran out across the hills, I was drenched in sweat, my shaggy black hair in a mess all around my face. Panting, I stopped to throw my sword into its storage container, hurrying to keep up with the rest of my cabin as they ran towards the path that I now knew led to our cabin. I made it maybe five steps out of the arena when somebody grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop.

When I spun around, I saw it was Clarisse. I scowled at her, so intense that she backed away a little bit, an uncertain expression on her face. In an instant, it was gone, and she kept ahold of my arm, rolling her eyes at me. "Chill. Just wanted to let you know that it's free time. You don't have to follow them. Go do what you want for the next two hours."

Okay, so I did appreciate her telling me that, but that didn't stop the fact that she was _touching_ me, without my permission. With a wrenching pull that bruised my pale arm, I yanked free, scowling at her. As I turned away, I spat, "Don't touch me unless I say so."

With that, I started running, in the opposite direction as my cabin members, not sure where I was going, but wanting to be alone.

* * *

I wasn't running for long before I found myself on a beach overlooking what had to be Long Island Sound. Halting, I gazed across the rolling ocean. It was startlingly quiet here, and peaceful. Sighing in frustration, I sank to the ground, feeling the soft sand beneath my skin. I drew my knees up to my chest, my sweaty hair blowing around me in the sea breeze.

Internally, I cringed, thinking of my bad reaction in the sword arena when Clarisse had grabbed me. She was only trying to help me, and I had nearly bitten her head off for it. Stupid, stupid! What was _wrong_ with me? I buried my face in my hands, feeling the sting of tears at the corners of my eyes. With an angry sniff, I cuffed them away.

All alone there on the warm sand, I began to think about everything that had taken place within the past two days. The tears spilled over onto my cheeks as my stepfather's face swam in front of my mind, cold and angry. My hands ran furiously through my hair, yanking on it while I clenched my eyes and teeth shut, my head thrown backward with the sun beating down on it. I _had_ to stop thinking about that if I was going to keep reacting like this. I was too old. I wasn't a baby.

But who was I? I never knew my mother. The man who had raised me turned out to not even be my father, and I had no idea who was. Apparently, he was some all-powerful god, but I had a hard time believing that. I still kept hoping that this was all just a horrible dream that I was going to wake up from, but deep down, I knew that it wasn't. My father was out there, alive, and maybe one day I could meet him. I had no idea how being a demigod worked yet, but I could dream, couldn't I?

More tears streamed down my cheeks as I sniffled, silent sobs shaking my shoulders. My face found its way back into my hands, and I was glad that I was alone. I didn't need to give my cabin mates another reason to stare at me, to talk about me behind my back. I was weird enough already, unwanted enough as it was. It was written all over their faces.

I just wanted to belong. _I just wanted to belong._

My first day was not going as well as I'd hoped, but maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe.

* * *

**Review if you'd like. See you next week!**


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